Gabriel Hahner

by Paula Göb

Glibbery disgusting salmon soft and synthetic squelches Waxy in kitsch Dirty touched Untouchable nostalgic past Intimacy denying Intimate Fantastic and in the end I always see dolls. 

Endless words that on the one hand tell of relationships with oneself, but, at the same time, evoke a sense of community through disgust or confusion. He internalizes the paradox of the unattractive and beautiful at the same time.  

Gabriel's works always make me want to look away-but look again. He creates masks and puppets or "beings" with which he performs, places them in specially created settings and manages to make these creatures that represent him look grotesque and lovely at the same time. He discusses themes of the past: decadence and a romantic sense of nostalgia, but in doing so his biographical history, his very own perception of everyday domestic life, and the experiences of queer existence inevitably come to the surface. 

He manages to surprise me every time with the fact that his images and sceneries seem so fabulous and ornate, and in the next moment relentlessly cross the line into the unpleasant.